was the 2nd (and final) Abe ''daimyō'' of Tanagura Domain.

Biography

Abe Masakoto was the son of Abe Masahisa, 6th ''daimyō'' of

Shirakawa Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mutsu Province. It was centered on Komine Castle in what is now the city of Shirakawa, Fukushima. Its most famous ruler was Matsudaira Sadanobu, the arc ...

, and was born to a maid at the domain's

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

residence. Due to his low birth and as he was only an infant when his father died, the position of ''daimyō'' when to a cadet branch of the family in the form of

Abe Masakiyo Abe or ABE may refer to: Aviation * Aviation boatswain's mate, equipment, a United States Navy occupational rating * IATA airport code for Lehigh Valley International Airport in State of Pennsylvania, USA People and fictional characters * Shinzo ...

. Abe Masakiyo was transferred from Shirakawa Domain to Tanagura Domain by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. However, following the defeat of the ''

Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black ...

'' during the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

, the victorious

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

reduced the ''

kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for taxation purposes under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo-period Japan, and expressing this value in terms of ''koku'' of rice. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Koku"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 5 ...

'' of Tanagura from 100,000 to 60,000 ''koku'', and forced Abe Masakiyo into retirement. Abe Masakoto, at the age of seven was appointed ''daimyō'' of Tanagura. However, only six months later, with the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

, the position of ''daimyō'' was abolished, and he became Imperial governor of Tanagura. During his short tenure, he authorized the formation of a

han school The ''han'' school was a type of educational institution in the Edo period of Japan. They taught samurai etiquette, the classical Confucian books, calligraphy, rhetoric, fighting with swords and other weapons; some also added subjects such as m ...

. In 1871, Tanagura was absorbed into the new

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

, and Abe Masakoto relocated to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. From 1873, he enrolled in

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

. He also invested heavily in land in the

Azabu is an area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Aza ...

neighborhood of Tokyo and was a major shareholder in the No.15 Bank. He also learned English and was an avid amateur

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. In 1884, he received the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

'' peerage title of ''

shishaku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distinguished ...

'' (viscount). His wife was a daughter of

Tokudaiji Kin'ito was a Japanese ''kugyō'' (court noble) during the Bakumatsu period. Life Takatsukasa Sukekimi was born on 22 December 1821. His father was Takatsukasa Masamichi and his mother was a daughter of Zaihi Karahashi. He was also the adopted son ...

. Fudai daimyo Abe clan 1860 births 1925 deaths Kazoku Keio University alumni {{daimyo-stub